Detroit blew a 14-game lead in the AL Central, putting them in danger of missing the postseason.
Detroit blew a 14-game lead in the AL Central, putting them in danger of missing the postseason.
BOSTON The Boston clinch party moved across the diamond.
Less than 24 hours after the Red Sox drenched the home clubhouse at Fenway Park to celebrate their postseason berth, the Detroit Tigers were spraying Champagne in the visitors’ locker room Saturday after beating Boston to earn a spot in the American League playoffs.
“They didn’t forget to celebrate, I’ll tell you that,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told reporters as he ducked into a hallway to try to get away from the postgame mayhem. “We’re having a good time because we’ve earned it. But it’s very rewarding to get to the postseason, no matter how you do it.”
After blowing a 14-game lead in the AL Central and an eighth-inning lead on Friday night that would have secured their spot a day earlier, the Tigers beat the Red Sox 2-1 on Saturday. Assured at least a wild card, Detroit can still win the division and host a first-round series — but only with help from Cleveland.
The victory with one game to play averted a collapse that would have been among the biggest in baseball history.
